Presumptive Republican congressional candidate Francis H. Powers dodged a bullet this week after his son, Francis M. Powers, failed to win the Libertarian Party’s nomination, thus avoiding the prospect of an ugly father-against-son race to succeed disgraced Rep. Vito Fossella.
The short-lived candidacy of the younger Powers, a rock musician, could have spelled trouble for his father, a retired Wall Street bigwig and current MTA board member, by transforming the campaign into just another chapter in this bizarre family feud. And, had the younger Powers actually gotten on the ballot for the seat that covers Bay Ridge and Staten Island, he would’ve cost his dad votes on Election Day, if only because of the similarities in their names.
Faced with the prospect of running against one of his five children from his first marriage, Powers issued the following the statement last week — some of the only words he’s shared with the press since becoming the likely GOP nominee.
‘I’ve tried very hard for many years to help my son. Unfortunately, he’s rejected everyone’s help to live a healthy lifestyle. Regardless of whether he wants to run for Congress, I still stand ready to help him move his life in a positive direction.”
The son responded by telling the New York Times that he did not have a drug problem. But, alas, just when the whole thing threatened to take off, the Libertarian Party nominated Susan Overeem, a former receptionist for WABC radio, instead of the younger Powers.
Of course, Democrats are in their own battle to replace Fossella (R–Bay Ridge), whose career ended after being engulfed in scandal from a recent drunk driving arrest and revelations that he fathered a child in an extramarital affair.
Councilman Mike McMahon (D–Staten Island) has been endorsed by both counties’ Democratic organizations, though Steve Harrison, a Bay Ridge lawyer who lost to Fossella in 2006 by the closest margin in the congressman’s five re-election races, is still gunning for this year’s nomination.
